You see, that’s the trouble with decisions that are motivated primarily (or in this case, solely) by politics. Free textbooks for students happens to be an excellent idea, in principle. In the United States, Canada and in the majority of Western countries, textbooks are provided through high school. I have long been an advocate of just that, as any of my social studies students at Edward P. Yorke High School, past and present, can affirm. Providing free textbooks will ease the burden that parents have to bear as a result of having to buy books that are often taken off the list next year, rendering them impossible to pass on to younger siblings or to sell in an attempt to defray some of the cost of new books. So why are so many teachers, administrators and union leaders complaining?
The primary reason appears to be a well-founded suspicion that the introduction of a free textbook program on such short notice, without trying this idea out with a preliminary test phase, as is the norm, and without the participation of all the stakeholders, is primarily an election-year ploy. In other words, whether the program works or doesn’t work because of glitches caused primarily by hurrying, whether the logistics of getting all the new books to all of the primary schools on time is possible, whether the books are the best and the most appropriate for our primary school students, doesn’t matter. All that matters is that the program MUST begin immediately, so that the PUP leadership will have “free textbooks” as a talking point during the upcoming campaign for the 2008 general elections.
What is sad about the whole thing is that some of these objectives could have been achieved with relatively little fuss and turmoil; actually a lot of MOE’s objectives could have been achieved in that way, except for the fact that diplomacy is not the modus operandi of this Ministry. I have rarely met people; I am referring to the top MOE leadership, who are as unpleasant as this set is. The character and style of an organization, a company or a department is pretty much determined by top management, and if top management is lacking the qualities of good leadership, well, this is what we get.
The lack of consultation – they apparently define “consultation” as coming to them on your knees hat in hand, begging for a few minutes of their time – and the attempt to rely on threats to try to force stakeholders into line, have become the hallmark of this Ministry. In this case, the threat is to withdraw government aid from schools if they question the Ministry’s decision, and to revoke the teaching licenses of teachers who resist by trying to use different texts other than the officially sanctioned ones. This approach has pretty much guaranteed conflict, with administrators, teachers and the BNTU, on one side, and the MOE, on the other. It’s as though this is the intention of the MOE.
They seem hell bent on manipulating the system so that it employs only PUP supporters as teachers and administrators. Or is it that this government is so desperate for something to hang their hats on as the general election draws near, that they have lost control of their ability to properly analyze a situation. Anyhow, let’s be real. Finesse has never been a strong point of this government.
The CEO in the MOE is a real piece of work! She came down to a school last year and within the first few minutes openly said that she was doing everybody a big favor by showing up. She didn’t really know why she and her delegation even bothered to come to talk to us, since the decision in question had already been made and was final! With those few ill-chosen words, this woman had established an adversarial relationship with just about every person in that room!
A friend of mine said something about 25 years ago that I have never forgotten. A group of us, musicians, were discussing things that can happen and have happened on a bandstand when the man said: “Y’know, y’all can do just about anything you want to, as long as you do it with tact!” I think that it is safe to say that all of us who were present, and this was not a formal meeting, just a casual discussion, never forgot that remark. It’s apparent that the CEO in the MOE hasn’t learned it yet and shows no signs of ever being capable of learning it. The concept is far too subtle for her to grasp.
There are some people, quite a lot of them in fact, who should never be in a position where they can wield power over other people, because they will inevitably abuse that power! That CEO is one of those people. So now we are going to the mat on an issue that should have been a given positive if it had been done for the right reasons and if it had been approached in a tactful and respectful manner.
Since this government has disdainfully shoved things down the throats of the electorate for nine years, why should anyone be surprised that those chosen by that same government to represent them on almost every level are of the same mindset? Besides, everybody with a modicum of sense is suspicious of every move GOB makes. Not only is there the obvious question as to the political agenda; any Belizean could be forgiven if they suspected that the textbooks that now have official approval have silent partners with the profit motive being part of the game. Who is providing those books, why did they get the contract and, well you have to know what the next question is going to be!
So the curfew netted only five children this weekend and predictably, they were all from the Southside of Belize City. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Human Development said on the Monday Channel 7 news that three of the five were caught because they were sent on errands to the store by their parents! Now let’s analyze this. First of all, nobody can convince me that only five children under sixteen were out on the streets after 8:00 p.m.! Nobody can convince me that there weren’t any young people under sixteen out in the streets on the Northside of Belize City either!
When I was 12 years old, my parents moved from Harlem to Coney Island in Brooklyn. This meant that for me to keep going to the High School of Music and Art, I had to ride the subways of New York City for an hour and half each way every single day. In winter, it was dark in the morning when I left and dark in the evening when I came home. Guess what? I’m still here at age 59 plus and being without adult supervision for long periods of time in big bad NYC didn’t turn me into a career criminal! THESE KIDS WERE GOING TO THE FREAKIN’ STORE FOR THEIR PARENTS WHO WERE PROBABLY TOO EXHAUSTED TO GO THEMSELVES! WHAT A SERIOUS CRIME!
Listen up, Ministry of Human Development. If your patrols ever catch a genuine young criminal, it will be as a result of pure luck! When I was a fifteen year old, out on the streets at night? Catch me? Good luck, but it wasn’t going to happen except in your dreams! Youngsters up to no good won’t wind up in your custody. Only those young people who are guilty of nothing other than trying to help their parents and those who make the mistake of thinking that we are living in a “true democracy” will get busted. Mr. and Ms. Young & Slick are laughing at you, and so am I!
By the way, it doesn’t matter what Judge Herbert Lord writes in his report. The fact that the report is unilateral, signed off by only one of the Commissioners, means that GOB can avoid taking any action against anyone! The “elite” have endless strategies and ways to avoid being called on the carpet for their crimes. The reason there appears to be no backlash is because even as the 11-point agreement between GOB and the NTUCB was being signed on February 11th, 2005, GOB had already figured out how to in effect render it null and void!
I really can’t put my finger on the exact cause, but we have a horrendous percentage of serious vehicle accidents when we take into account our small population. Why can’t our Police Department use motorcycle patrols on our nation’s highways? Motorcycles don’t use much gas. Besides, I suspect that it is just too tempting for some people to drive high, recklessly and stupidly when there is zero chance of being pulled over and either given an expensive ticket or being unceremoniously carted off to jail while the vehicle is towed away to the impound lot at the owner’s expense! I include in the reckless and stupid category, people who don’t wear their seatbelts and even worse, allow their own children and other minors to ride without seatbelts in cars or in the open pans of pickup trucks.
Hey, Ministry of Human Development, since you seem to be so eager to go after parents who are not doing their jobs, here’s a long overdue cause for you! You will have everybody’s support on this one!